Stuart Townend’s hymn “How deep the Father’s Love for us” says: Behold the man upon a crossMy sin upon His shouldersAshamed, I hear my mocking voiceCall out among the scoffersIt was my sin that held Him thereUntil it was accomplishedHis dying breath has brought me lifeI know that it is finished The aim of Pilate’s… Continue reading Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Tag: Mark
Who are you?
This is Pilate’s question for Jesus. Not in the sense that he didn’t know the name of the person standing before him or anything about the details of his life. It’s a question about identity. Read Mark 15:1-15 It’s the night before his crucifixion and Jesus has been handed over by the Jewish leaders to… Continue reading Who are you?
Crucified (Mark 15)
Jesus is handed over to Pilate because the Jewish leaders don’t have the authority to order his execution. Given their hesitancy around a public showdown with Jesus themselves, it also neatly hands the problem over to the Romans. Note the cowardice of a night trial and then passing the issue so that they don’t get… Continue reading Crucified (Mark 15)
For me it was in the garden
You know that you are about to face the darkest hour of your life, you are about to be let down by friends and deserted. You know that one of them will even go so far as to turn against you even though you have persistently showed love to them. What are you doing? If… Continue reading For me it was in the garden
A meal with Jesus
Throughout the Gospels, some of the great encounters with Jesus happen at mealtime. We are coming to the close of Mark’s Gospel and the last meal in his account is no ordinary supper. Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Passover. The Passover meal commemorated the night when the people of Israel prepared… Continue reading A meal with Jesus
Extravagent worship
The day of Jesus’ betrayal was getting closer and the Passover festival was only a couple of days away. We saw back in Mark 12 that Jesus’ opponents were becoming more and more agitated and yet they still did not know how to handle him. They continued to plot but they needed a pretext and… Continue reading Extravagent worship
Betrayed, Denied, Accused (Mark 14)
We are now reaching the culmination of the Gospel. Jesus is about to be betrayed and handed over to death. The leaders are hesitant, not wanting to cause a disturbance during the festival, and yet the focus on Passover is exactly the time when God has planned these events to come to pass (14:1-2) It… Continue reading Betrayed, Denied, Accused (Mark 14)
Are you ready?
Mark 13 takes us to two questions. There’s the immediate question from the disciples is simple enough “when will the destruction of the Temple happen?” The second arises out of it and moves beyond one “mini-world-end” to the greater end of the world event when Jesus will return. Jesus addresses this too. Read Mark 13:24-37… Continue reading Are you ready?
The Generation that will not pass away
Mark 13:30 has provoked plenty of debate. What does Jesus mean when he says that “This generation will not pass away?” It appears at first sight that he has been asked about when the world will end and he’s answered that “this generation”, those standing in front of him will be alive to see the… Continue reading The Generation that will not pass away
What Was The Abomination of Desolation?
In Mark 13:14, Jesus warns his followers that when they see “the abomination of desolation” then they should get far away from Jerusalem. They were to make a run for it. What was that “abomination”. The phrase conveys the idea of something or someone doing something that is so terrible, so appalling that it causes… Continue reading What Was The Abomination of Desolation?
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